STORY EXCERPT

Thick wafts of cigarette smoke filled Club Inferno, the hottest nightspot in Morrisonville. Dance music, a mix of hip-hop and techno, blared from the giant sound system originating from the wiry DJ working the CDs in the booth. Fake devils and flames comprised the décor with shades of red and crimson throughout. Humans could be, at best, simple creatures. Surely, they could have come up with something more provocative than visions of hell.

Raphael Chamberlain surveyed the room with narrowed, hooded eyes. So far, no one deserved to die tonight. Oh, sure, there were a few pervs, perps and cheaters out there looking for a good lay but nothing to lose their lives over. He only fed on those who truly contained the blackest of souls with a mark for death.

"Nothing suits you, I see.” Alexandra swept yards of long black hair over her shoulder as she looked around the bar herself. Her ethics were questionable and didn’t match his. Who was he to say? She fed on who she pleased. He always made sure that her meals were those who deserved what they got. It wasn’t easy in his position to keep the others in line.

He leaned back and stretched out his long, denim-encased legs underneath their table nestled in a darker part of the bar. He preferred the blackest part of shadows. They were much safer than being out in the open. "Not a damn thing." His voracious hunger didn’t gnaw at him tonight as it normally did. Why, he wasn't sure.

Egyptian-born Nicholas joined in on the mirth. "Our dear Raphael isn't in the mood tonight for a little fun, I suppose."

"There's more to life than a good fuck." He scanned the room once again to see if anyone else had entered worth eating. His senses returned nothing. No one else entered worth taking.

Damn.

Why did he keep searching? There was nothing worth eating here. He snickered. It reminded him of a story someone once told him of the humans: If they were bored, they had a tendency to go to the refrigerator to find something to eat. When nothing suited them, they closed the door only to return several minutes later under the conclusion that something new had appeared. "I’m tired of this place. Let’s go somewhere else."

A sudden unfamiliar heaviness invaded the room and diverted his attention. His senses flared. That normally only happened if another vampire had entered the same bar. None of the other vampires, save the two at his side, ventured to this side of town. So why was he feeling this way?

 Turning toward the main source of the strange feeling, Raphael caught the eye of a young woman at the bar. There was really nothing unusual about her. Mousy hair slipped past her shoulders, clipped at the crown by what the humans called a barrette. Thick, black-rimmed glasses covered her eyes, perched on a nearly perfect nose. Lush full lips resided underneath, the color of dew-covered roses. He sat up straight, his gaze scraping up and down her body slowly. What was it about her that drew his attention?

Alexandra's Spanish-lilted laughter broke through his thoughts. "It looks like Raphael has finally found something."

"Screw you, Alex." He watched the woman with his predatory gaze. Her movements were a little nervous and stilted, almost as if she was completely out of her element. From the vibe she was giving off, more than likely she was.

"Who's the lucky woman?" Nicholas joined in, his annoying laughter mingling with Alex's. He ignored their under-the-breath comments. They knew better than to piss him off, especially since he was the Guardian of the Northern area. Since his appointment to the sheriff-like position, he had become a vampire of great power and all bowed to his demands. Alex and Nicholas were his seconds in command. Drake and Siobhan rounded out the council that oversaw the trials of the vampires of the sector. He was the sole judge while the others had been relegated to the roles of jury. They alone decided the fates of rogue vampires.

He said nothing as he watched the strangely familiar woman. Her long fingers, tipped with well-manicured nails, danced around the rim of her glass. She stared at the atmosphere around her with frightened, wide eyes. Fright radiated from in her a large swell. What was she doing here?

Behind him, he could hear Nicholas and Alex's banal conversation. He ignored them. He remained fixed on the intriguing young woman. There was definitely something about her that he couldn't quite place.

Closing his eyes, he probed her mind. He tapped into her innermost secrets in search of the key to her essence. From what he could see, she was a very shy, insecure woman, especially about her looks. Why did she feel this way? Probing deeper, he viewed her memories, feeling a little like a thief doing so.

She had a normal childhood, along with doting parents. Unfortunately, she was the only child and, in her eyes, not even remotely pretty. Digging ever deeper, he saw that she suffered from horrible nightmares. What caused them?

Let me see.

Like a ghost rising from the mist of the Moors, those dreams made their presence known. In her most horrific nightmare, the woman was in the clutches of a creature not of this earth, dying the same way his beloved had died.

His eyes flew wide open as his chest constricted. His hard belly tensed as if a rock slammed into it. No, it couldn't be!

His beloved Elizabeth had returned from the grave.

Alex’s black brows knitted together in concern when she saw his face. "What's wrong, Raphael?"

Nicholas jabbed him in the arm. "He's got a case of the I-need-to-get-laid-blues."

"I don't believe it." Raphael couldn’t drag his attention away from the woman even if he wanted to. His fists clenched. “I don’t fucking believe it.”

"Don't believe what?"

Raphael swallowed the hard lump in his throat. "It's Elizabeth."

ADULT EXCERPT

Beams of silvery light drifted through her window and cast a grayish light onto the black leather of his pants. His cock grew hard just looking at his Elizabeth lying there asleep like an angel sent from heaven. She lay on her back with her hand against the pillow, her fingers twitching slightly. Luscious lips parted to exude soft breaths, the rise of her breasts almost more than he could stand. Wake up, he willed her silently.

“Elizabeth.”

Her eyes snapped open and she twisted her head to look at him. Sparks of recognition floated in the sleep-laden depths of her eyes. “Raphael? What are you doing here?”

Surprise overtook him and he took a step forward. “I have finally found you after all these centuries.” He knelt next to the bed and took her hand into his own. She might be remembering him now but perhaps it would be best that he glamour her until she could accept him and love him for what he was. He smothered her hand with kisses. “I love you.”

“As I love you, Raphael.” Elizabeth pulled his face toward hers. He detected the delicious scent of sleep hovering around her. He was tempted to leave and allow her to imagine this was all a dream on her own but it was far too late for that. His body demanded satisfaction.

Raphael touched her lips briefly, taking the lightest of liberties. He had expected her to be resistant and shy, but she was neither. She opened for him, allowing his tongue to sweep inside. Dear God, she was utterly delicious!

Hungrily, he traveled from her mouth to the nape of her luscious neck. Elizabeth titled her head back all the better to give him access. Her blood beat hard and fast in the nape of her neck, calling to him. He was tempted to turn her right then and there so he could possess her forever but his better senses prevailed. Now was not the time. Not until she knew him for who and what he was and could consent to her transformation.

Sweet heat shimmered from her body in succulent waves as he traveled down to her bountiful tits. Elizabeth moaned softly, adding to the intense heat of his cock. The pressure was almost beyond painful.

Elizabeth’s thick nipples turned to taut peaks beneath her silky red peignoir as he brushed his gloved palm over them. Cupping her breasts, he teased the tense points with his leather clad thumbs, massaging them from root to top. Elizabeth moaned and arched against him. Raphael drew in a swift breath. He couldn’t stand the agony she infused any longer. Taking the edges of her nightgown, he tore the soft fabric straight down the middle. She gasped as he descended and took a ripened berry between his teeth. He nipped lightly as the pebbled skin popped. Elizabeth buried her hands into his hair and arched against his mouth. She was so sweet and innocent, her maidenhead ripe for his taking again.

Raphael withdrew from her, much to her surprise. “What’s wrong?” Her breathing hitched in and out of her chest. An orgasm was extremely close for her. Virgins didn’t need much encouragement.

“I can’t tell you how much I want to bury my cock in your tight pussy right now.”

Her brow quirked up as she spread her legs. The lips of her weeping pussy glistened in the moonlight, inviting him to slip his hard dick inside. He groaned. This was more than any vampire could take. “Fuck me, Raphael, all night long really hard and deep.”

His fists curled at his sides as his urges fought to overtake her body. He could take her and heal her, but the fact would remain her maidenhead would still be broken. The corner of his mouth turned up. Even after all these hundreds of years, he still thought in the terms of his day and not the modern one. “As much as I desire you, Elizabeth, I can’t, at least not yet. When the time is right, I will take you and fuck you as hard and as long as you wish. For now, there is one thing I can do.”

Sliding up the end of the bed, Raphael slipped his arms under her thighs and lifted her hips. Her scent was far sweeter smelling than he remembered. He nearly exploded in his pants, but he managed to quell his emotions. How well that would work in the next few minutes would be the key.

“Yes, Raphael, taste me like you used to.”

He grinned. “As you wish.”

He slipped his hand over her hip and pulled her plump lips upward then spread the weeping cunt wide. God, she looked so fucking good. Dipping his head, he started at her anus and licked upward. Her juicy pussy swelled as the orgasmic blood rushed downward. Elizabeth quivered as she wound her hands in his hair. “Don’t tease me, Raphael. Lick my pussy deep.”

Raphael needed no further encouragement. He closed his mouth over her cunt, licking up and down on her plentiful lips with long, languid strokes. Elizabeth’s hips responded and pressed into his face in a silent beg for a deeper penetration. He obliged and parted her inner mouth with one press of his tongue. He was inside of her, sweeping from side to side. There was a particular spot if touched, would send a woman’s senses spiraling out of control.

Elizabeth’s hips jerked as he discovered the spot just behind her clit. With rapid movements, he tapped the area. Elizabeth fisted the covers on either side of her as high breathy moans escaped her mouth. “Oh, God, yes!” Her voice raised several octaves. “Harder, my love!”

Her gasps of ecstasy were almost too much to take. He nearly exploded beneath the tight leather of his pants. He pushed her further than he had any woman. Without warning, her orgasm blew into his mouth in a sweet rush of juice and he lapped the liquid hungrily. How long had it been since he’d penetrated her this intimately?

Raphael pulled back slightly as the beloved sound of blood rushing through an artery blasted his vampiric hearing. He looked to his right. Her left thigh was so close full of available blood. He frowned. He had to mark her but he should wait until she knew him. A deep growl rumbled in his throat. What if Zakara got to her first, again? No, he couldn’t chance it. Besides, if not marked as his, she would be fair game for any other vampire. They would not touch her once she belonged to the Lord of the Vampires.

“Oh, Raphael, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you, my love.”

His choice became clear with the utterance of those words. “As I have missed you.” He kissed her inner thigh. “I have something else for you.”

Elizabeth’s thighs quivered under his hands and he kissed her once again. “No pain,” he whispered against her hot, fevered flesh. Opening his mouth, his fangs shot downward and he sank them straight into the artery. Sweet virgin blood flowed into him, far sweeter than he had ever known. He was more alive now than he had been centuries before.

Raphael stopped and withdrew before he took too much, licking the wounds of its last drops of blood. He blew over the skin and the puncture marks disappeared with no bruising. There was only a tiny scar of his bite serving as his mark. His scent clung to her as well and would never leave. Good. It would keep her safe from the others.

“You don’t know what you do to me, Raphael.”

He rose to his knees on the end of the bed and took her hand, drawing her into a setting position. Now time for a little release of his own. “I can show you what you do to me.” He laid his hand on his hard cock. “Undo my pants.”

“But—”

“Undo them.”

Elizabeth’s shaking fingers undid his pants and his erection sprang free. She gasped. “My God, you’re still as big as I remembered.”

“It’s all for you, my love. As bad as I want to bury this in your soaking pussy, the time isn’t right. I will make sure that it is a memory you won’t forget quickly.” He guided her hand around his shaft. “Touch me and kiss me. Love me as I have loved you.”

 A mischievous smile spread across her lips. Dipping her head, she slid his cock into her mouth and caressed him with the expert sweep of her tongue. She made love to the mushroom-like head of his shaft, taking him in nearly all the way before retreating a little then plunging down again. One tiny hand cupped his tightly drawn balls and kneaded with gentle pressure while the other stroked him hard. Oh, dear God, how long he had missed her ministrations!

Raphael slipped his hand into the yards of brown hair and fucked her mouth slowly, allowing her to take as much as she wanted in. The fire of his climax burned higher and higher, threatening to consume him until finally he couldn’t take the heat of it anymore. His thrusts were gentle but urgent as the tight ring of her mouth closed around him. He exploded in her mouth with a wild fury. Elizabeth milked his cock of every last drop of his come, lapping at his shaft. “You are really a special woman, Elizabeth.” He lifted her head. “Soon we will be together forever.”

A bright flame of desire flickered in the depths of her brown eyes as he tucked himself back into his pants. “I can’t tell you how much I want that, too.”

Before he could say anything, his senses flared as they always had when dawn approached. Though he didn’t have to concern himself with the sun courtesy of the spell from Zakara’s grimoire, he still needed to gather his strength and doing so during the day was still best for vampires. He looked out the window. Shards of pink penetrated the horizon. Hastily, he tucked himself away and caressed her cheek. “Time for you to go back to sleep.”

“I don’t want to go back to sleep. I want to stay with you.”

“You must, my dear for it is what I wish. You desire to please me, don’t you?” She nodded. “Then be a good girl and lie back. This is a dream that you’ll remember for a long time.”

Elizabeth lay back as he instructed. He left the bed and walked around to her side. Kneeling next to her, he took her hand into his and slipped a kiss to the back. “I love you, Elizabeth. I’ve traveled centuries to find you.”

Her eyes widened. “Centuries? What do you mean?”

He rose and leaned over her. “You will find out soon enough my love. Remember this is all a dream.” He ravaged her mouth hungrily and left her completely breathless as well as another hard cock for himself. Damn, why couldn’t he control his body? His mouth curled into a half smile. With Elizabeth, he never could.

His glamour worked for she closed her eyes instantly. Her breathing deepened, his confirmation sleep had returned for her. Raphael touched her cheek again. She was his again, after all these centuries. He was damned if he was going to let anyone take her away again. Especially Zakara.